Senior test engineer

Band 7 · Test engineer · 477 job evaluation points

UK GDaD PCF level: Senior test engineer

Most often performed at Civil Service grade SEO or G7.

A senior test engineer is responsible for test engineering in their area. They influence, coach and guide others in test engineering, sharing best practice and standards.
At this role level, you will:
select, use and guide others in using the most appropriate technical tooling, engineering approaches, test types and techniques to identify and address risks early
extend, standardise and build reusable frameworks and tools that support testing
communicate and document chosen approaches, tools, techniques and outcomes to the team and appropriate stakeholders
contribute to and agree engineering standards

Contains public sector information from the UK Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (https://understand-digital-data-roles-skills.service.gov.uk/), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.

Responsibilities

Lead test engineering for an area, choosing tools, frameworks, and test types that address its risks early.
Build reusable test frameworks and simulators for clinical systems and partner integrations.
Plan and run performance, load, and resilience tests based on real clinical demand.
Make sure automated tests trace to hazards and safety controls and produce evidence for safety cases.
Coach and guide other test engineers, and agree engineering standards with developers.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Communicating between the technical and non-technicalUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: listen to and interpret the needs of technical and non-technical stakeholders, and manage their expectations manage active and reactive communication support or host difficult discussions within the team or with diverse senior stakeholders
Designing and executing testsUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: set up suitable environments influence and guide the use of appropriate test types and techniques to mitigate risk early lead others in designing, building, maintaining and executing tests that align to user needs and requirements contribute to developing and implementing standards for designing and executing tests improve test types and techniques through a structured process.
Managing, reporting and resolving defectsUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: contribute to developing standards for defect management processes manage and escalate dependencies, defects and risks across teams contribute to mitigation and contingency plans across teams use defect patterns and trends to make recommendations on testing and quality approaches, with support manage stakeholder expectations and communications during defect resolution
Test analysisUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: lead work with stakeholders across teams to determine which functional and non-functional quality characteristics add value determine if an approach needs to change based on effort and risk ensure test needs are implemented early use multiple techniques to analyse complex information to identify risks coach others in test analysis
Test and quality planningUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: work with teams to develop and implement appropriate quality testing approaches, plans and strategies contribute to organisational quality testing strategies implement ways to capture data to drive continuous improvement of quality testing approaches, plans and strategies advocate for full team ownership of quality testing activities, encouraging early engagement
Test engineeringUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: develop, standardise and extend reusable frameworks and tools to support a range of testing activities guide and coach others in creating and maintaining comprehensive and reliable tests that meet standards research and prepare for future testing needs, including tools, methodologies and techniques maintain and adapt continuous integration, continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines
Understanding health and care servicesThis reference	Working (2)	You can: explain the clinical and care workflows your work supports use common health care terms correctly with clinical and care colleagues recognise when a change could affect patient care and raise it
Clinical risk managementThis reference	Working (2)	You can: take part in hazard workshops and contribute to a hazard log follow the clinical risk management process for your work provide evidence for a clinical safety case, such as test results
Information governance and data protectionThis reference	Working (2)	You can: apply data protection principles to your work contribute to data protection impact assessments handle information requests and records correctly
Health data interoperabilityThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: design and build integrations using FHIR, HL7 version 2, and messaging patterns write and profile FHIR resources and implementation guides resolve complex mapping and data quality issues between systems
Medical device software regulationThis reference	Awareness (1)	You can: explain that some health software is regulated as a medical device know who to ask when a product might be a medical device

Typical qualifications and experience

Substantial experience of test engineering, at a level equivalent to a master's degree.

Band 7 outline

Knowledge: Highly developed specialist knowledge, typically to master's level or equivalent experience.
Autonomy: Works to organisational policy; decides how results are achieved; is the expert others consult.
Scope: Several products or services, or a specialist function.
Leadership: Leads a team or a professional practice area.
Accountability: Delivery of a service or specialist function, and its budget if held.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	4	Gives complex, sensitive, or contentious information needing persuasion, negotiation, or training skills, or highly complex information.	32
Knowledge, training, and experience	7	Highly developed specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (master's level or equivalent).	196
Analytical and judgemental skills	4	Judgements on complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	42
Planning and organisational skills	3	Plans several complex activities, adjusting plans as needed.	27
Physical skills	3	Developed skills needing speed or accuracy, such as advanced keyboard use.	27
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	3	Implements policies for own area and proposes changes that affect other areas.	21
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	1	Takes personal care of equipment and resources used in own work.	5
Responsibility for people	2	Supervises or coordinates staff day to day, trains others regularly, or gives basic HR advice.	12
Responsibility for information resources	5	Designs and develops major information systems, or runs information systems for several services as the main duty.	34
Responsibility for research and development	2	Regularly does research, development, trials, or equipment and system testing as part of the job.	12
Freedom to act	4	Results are defined, but the job holder decides how to achieve them, within broad policy.	32
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	4	Frequent prolonged concentration, or occasional intense concentration.	18
Emotional effort	1	Rare exposure, or occasional indirect exposure, to distressing circumstances.	5
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 7: 466 to 539)			477